Objectives: The study aimed to identify the psychological and social challenges faced by Emirati women working in the medical field during COVID-19, as well as the extent to which these challenges differed depending on the nature of their work, the variable of their social status, and the extent to which these challenges were related to the study’s primary variables. Methodology: For this study, a questionnaire for assessing psychological and social issues was developed, and after obtaining psychometric features and proving validity and stability, it was used on a sample of 150 Emirati women. Results:The statistical data show that the study sample in the field of psychological issues suffers anxiety, dread, tension, and agitation. In addition, there are social difficulties to consider, such as social stigma, loss of family and professional relations, absence from home, trouble maintaining a work-life balance, and strained social relationships with patients. The findings also revealed a lack of statistical significance with the variables of the place of residence and social status on the study sample’s varying challenges, as well as the presence of a statistically significant relationship between the study variables (age, shift time, housing, work sector, number of years of experience) and the challenges. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2024-08-04-017 Full Text: PDF

The aim of this study to identify the status of people with disabilities, the strategy of integrating them into the academic and professional life and to identify the problems arising from their inclusion in various aspects such as educational, social and environmental aspects. The sample surveyed in this study was 51 male and female students, reached through the Resource Center for People with disabilities at the University of Sharjah at different colleges. The questionnaire includes 30 questions. After obtaining and analyzing the results, it was reached that students with disabilities suffer from many difficulties during their study at the university, including educational difficulties, which are represented in the difficulty of performing exams and the difficulty of absorbing the academic subjects. As well as social difficulties which are represented in the difficulty of making social relationships and the inability to make friendships with other students and non-participation in various university activities. Also, there are environmental difficulties represented by the library's lack of appropriate halls and the lack of guidance boards that help students with disabilities to move within the university and the difficulty of getting a parking for those with disabilities near the university entrance. And by analyzing the results of the questionnaire, we also concluded that there are others difficulties for incorporating and inserting people with disabilities in professional field despite of strategies that the United Arab Emirates implement in all fields for facilitating and encouraging people with disabilities to continue their studies and inserting them in the society.

الأهداف: تهدف الدّراسة إلى الكشف عن أمن الأحياء في مجتمع الإمارات بالتّركيز على الأبعاد الأمنيّة الوقائيّة الماديّة المتدفّقة عبر شبكات رأس المال الاجتماعي في أحياء إمارة الشّارقة، وذلك من خلال مكونات الأمن) الوقائي / المادي(. المنهجية: جرى الاعتماد على المنهج الكّمي من خلال المسح الاجتماعي على عيّنة عشوائيّة عنقوديّة من مجموع المناطق في إمارة الشّارقة، من خلال توزيع استبانة على(500) مفردة ذكورًا وإناثًا من المواطنين الإماراتيين القاطنين في المناطق التّالية: الموافجة، والرحمانية، والزاهية، والمنطقة الوسطى(الذيد)، والساحل الشرقي من خورفكان. النتائج: أظهرت النّتائج أن رأس المال الاجتماعي ركيزة أساسيّة للأمن الوقائي المادي؛ حيث تبيّن أنّ شبكة العلاقات الاجتماعيّة في أحياء إمارة الشّارقة قوية ويُعاد إنتاجها على نحو مستمر خلافًا للأحياء المختلطة. ومن أبرز أبعاد الأمن الوقائي في الأحياء: أولًا: الأمن النّفعي (الاقتصادي الاجتماعي) والمتمثّل في العون المادي والوصول لأصحاب القرار. ثانيًا أمن الممتلكات ويتمثل في عدم الخوف على المقتنيات، والأمان على المنزل. ثالثًا: الأمن الصّحّي والمتمثل في...

Objective This study aimed to assess levels of stigma-related attitudes and their associated demographic and work-related factors among healthcare providers in the United Arab Emirates using the validated S19-HCPs stigma assessment tool. Specifically, the study examined stigma experienced by healthcare providers across multiple dimensions including fear of infection, adherence to occupational precautions, willingness to provide care, perception of professional recognition, satisfaction with workplace safety provisions, and attitudes toward COVID-19 patients. Design Descriptive, cross-sectional study. Methods An anonymous online survey incorporating the 24-item S19-HCPs questionnaire was administered to healthcare providers across United Arab Emirates medical institutions from October through December 2024. The S19-HCPs measures six stigma dimensions across 24 items using a validated instrument with Cronbach’s alpha of 0.79 (English) and 0.74 (Arabic). Data analysis included descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations, ranges, frequencies) and non-parametric tests of association (Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis H tests) to examine differences across demographic and occupational groups. Results Among 308 healthcare providers (74% female; mean age 35.2 years, SD = 9.8), significant stigma-related experiences were documented across multiple dimensions. Healthcare providers reported positive attitudes toward COVID-19 patients (M = 12.09, SD = 11.00) alongside substantial occupational fear of infection and safety concerns. Statistically significant variations in stigma outcomes emerged across age groups (H = 8.34, p = 0.005), gender (U = 9876, p < 0.001), occupational roles (H = 12.67, p = 0.001), years of healthcare experience (H = 10.22, p = 0.002), and COVID-19 work status (U = 10,245, p = 0.008). Younger providers (20–30 years), females, nurses, and those with intensive COVID-19 care exposure reported elevated stigma symptoms. Critically, training completion was associated with substantially lower stigma scores across all dimensions (U = 11,023, p < 0.001), identifying training as the strongest protective factor against stigma. Conclusion This study documented moderate to significant stigma among United Arab Emirates healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic, with clear demographic vulnerability patterns and evidence-based protective mechanisms. These findings underscore urgent need for evidence-based stigma reduction interventions, including mandatory occupational health training, explicit workplace protective policies, accessible mental health services, and public education campaigns addressing misconceptions. Healthcare organizations and policymakers must prioritize stigma prevention as a core pandemic preparedness component to ensure sustainable healthcare workforce resilience, quality care delivery and system capacity during future infectious disease crises.

تعد الانتكاسة لتعاطي المخدرات بعد الانتهاء من علاج إزالة السموم وإعادة التأهيل مصدر قلق عام واجتماعي وصحي في جميع أنحاء العالم. بشكل عام، معدل الانتكاسة لدى مرضى اضطراب تعاطي المخدرات هو 40 إلى 60 بالمائة. على الرغم من أن تعاطي المخدرات لا يزال يمثل عبئًا في دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة، إلا أنه لا يُعرف سوى القليل جدًا عن الانتكاسة بين مرضى اضطراب تعاطي المؤثرات العقلية. ولذلك، تهدف هذه الدراسة إلى دراسة المحفزات المرتبطة بالانتكاسة إلى تعاطي المخدرات في إحدى مراكز التأهيل. تعتبر هذه الدراسة ضرورية لتنفيذ تدخل متكامل لمعالجة الانتكاسة في مراحل مختلفة من التعافي، من قبول المريض إلى إعادة دمجه في المجتمع. تعتمد منهجية الدراسة النوعية الحالية على مقابلات متعمقة مع 30 مريضًا من مرضى إضطراب المواد المخدرة في إحدى مراكز التأهيل، مما يحقق في الوقت نفسه هدفين منهجيين: تتبع عملية الإدمان من مغادرة المركز إلى التنقل في البيئة المحيطة، وإشراك العائلة والأصدقاء والعمل، وتحديد التجارب الفريدة للمبحوثين. توصلت الدراسات إلى عدة نتائج: تستكشف الدراسة المحفزات العلاجية والاجتماعية والشخصية، بما في ذلك التعرض...